Improvement in card-racks



H. R. VIAN 'EPSQ Card Backs.

PatentedApril29.1873.

AM. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHIC ca Mflmnmvslv macsss) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HENRY R. VAN EPS, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARD-RACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,454, dated April 29, 1873; application filed February 26, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. VAN EPS, of the city of Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Gard-Racks; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawing making a part of this specification, in which like letters of reference refer to like parts, and in Which- Figure 1 represents an elevation on a small scale; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same on same scale; Fig. 3, a front View or elevation of a portion of rack, full size; Fig. 4, an end View on same scale as Fig.1, showing how it may be folded when not in use or for packing away; Fig. 5, vertical end View on full-sized scale.

This invention relates to a card-rack consistin g of a net-work of wire or of metal strips, made in sections and hinged together along the sections by loops or eyes formed in the same piece, the hinges being continued vertically upward to form tongues to receive show or business cards, photographs, &0. The

adjoining sections can be folded and lie together in a compact form when desirable to be put away, as will be hereinafter more fully explained and shown;

One of the forms in which'I construct the rack is as follows: A A A, &c., represents a continuous wire, bent back and forth, running across the rack, and bent in a zigzag form in one plane, which corresponds with the plane or face of the rack. At each of the lower bends the point of the bend is turned up vertically, forming two eyes or loops, ff, in a horizontal line in the plane of the rack, for the reception of the bend of the next wiresection; the tongue at thus turned up stands vertically, as seen in Fig. 5, and receives a card, photograph, or similar thing. The eyes f f, 850., of each tongue at are about one inch apart, as are also the angles of the upper bends of the zigzag which enter the eyes or loops f of the adjoining wire-section. 0n

reaching the outer edge of the rack the ad This design may be extended to any size de sired, and the whole be folded up into a small compass along the intersections or hinges of the sections.

There are other forms of constructing this card-rack-as, for instance, stamping the sections out of sheet metal and turning up the tongues, as before described; or hinging the sections together with loops or separate rings; or simply to stamp curved incisions checkerwise in the metal sheet to form the tongues for holding the cards, 850.; also, to form a reticulation of metal strips, or of wire, or flattened wire rigid or without joints, and with tongues bent up from the material or attached.

The operation of this invention is as follows, but it really needs little description: The tongues a at, 850., permit the insertion and secure retention of cards, photographs, memoranda for attention, &c., and when the rack is not in use it can, if necessary, be folded up, as shown in Fig. A, and laid away.

What I claim as my invention is-- A folding card-rack consisting of anet-work of wire, or of strips of metal, made in sections A and hinged together by loops or eyes f formed of the same piece of wire, the hinges or loops being continued vertically upward to form the tongues a to receive the cards, sub stantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing improvement in card-racks, I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of February, 1873.

HENRY R. VAN EPS.

Witnesses:

JAMES THURLOW, HENRY W. WELLS. 

